Share this Page

Henry gives verdict on misfiring United striker Zlatan

Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Struggling to find the net

Thierry Henry believes misfiring Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is being affected by his current goal drought.

The 35-year-old striker, who scored four Premier League goals in his first four games, has not netted in the league since the derby defeat to Man City in September.

In the six games that Ibrahimovic has failed to score in United have slipped down to eighth in the table and Henry, who played with Zlatan at Barcelona, believes the Swede has the mental capacity to overcome his blank spell.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Henry said: “All the questions have been about Jose Mourinho and Wayne Rooney but now they are about Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

“It’s the first time he’s found himself in this situation in his career.

“He usually puts them in the back of the net because this doesn’t happen to him often.

“He’s going to have to deal with it. I know he has the character and the ability to deal with it but it will be better for him if it happens sooner rather than later.”

Zlatan, who arrived on a free transfer in the summer after his contract with PSG expired, scored 156 goals in 180 appearances for the Ligue 1 champions and after making an impressive start to life at Old Trafford he has scored just once in 10 matches in all competitions.

Asked if Ibrahimovic’s goalscoring drought would be affecting his confidence, Henry added: “It does, especially when your team doesn’t win.

“Sometimes it’s okay if you don’t score but your team still wins but he knows he’s had great opportunities to score goals in important games.

“Yes, it does affect you but I would still back him to deliver for United because of the player he was and he is still,” he added.

“It hasn’t happened for him recently for United, but he needs to find a way to score goals because they need that.

“Does it affect him? Yes, he’s a human being but he has the right tools in his mind to recover from that.”